District of Columbia
D.C. jury convicts man for hate crime assault against gay couple
Attacker targeted male victims after seeing them holding hands
A D.C. Superior Court jury on Dec. 12 found a 42-year-old District man guilty of two counts of bias related assault against a gay male couple on Aug. 3 after seeing the men holding hands outside the 9:30 Club in the Shaw neighborhood.
Court records show the jury also found the attacker, Franklin Siate, guilty of the offense of attempted threats against a female employee of the 9:30 Club after the woman and witnesses said he threatened to rape and murder her a short time before he targeted the two gay men.
Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro, who presided over Siate’s trial, scheduled a sentencing hearing for Feb. 10.
Under D.C.’s hate crimes law, the judge has the authority to hand down a sentence one and a half times greater than the maximum sentence for the underlying charge of assault to which he was convicted in connection with the attack against the two gay men.
Matthew Graves, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia who serves as the city’s chief prosecutor, referred to Siate’s conviction and his office’s efforts to prosecute hate crimes at a Dec. 20 press briefing on D.C. crime trends for 2024 in response to a question from the Washington Blade about hate crimes.
“On the night of August 3, 2024, Siate verbally and then physically accosted multiple people outside the 9:30 Club,” a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s office says. “First, he approached a line of patrons waiting to enter the concert venue for a Taylor Swift Dance Party and started yelling at them,” the statement says.
“He then turned his attention to a 9:30 Club employee and threatened to rape and murder her,” the statement continues. “He then saw two men walking by, holding hands, and acting affectionately towards one another.” The statement adds, “Siate followed them down the block saying, ‘Gays cannot hold hands in my city.’ You’re in my living room, yelling a slur at them.”
According to the statement, Siate then “picked up a large sign outside of another establishment, lifted it over his head, and charged toward the two men.” It says a D.C. police officer arrived just in time to stop Siate from physically hitting the men with the sign.
Under the D.C. criminal code, the actions by Siate against the two gay men and the woman employee of the 9:30 Club constitute a criminal offense of assault and threat of violence even though there was no reported physical contact.
Court records show that Siate was released on the day following his arrest on his own recognizance while awaiting trial. But the records show he was arrested on a new, unrelated charge on Aug. 31 for allegedly threatening a man with a knife and assaulting a police officer. The records show he has been held in jail since that time and will remain in custody until at least the time of his Feb. 10 sentencing hearing.
The Blade reached out to the couple who were victims in the incident. They requested to be identified only by their first names, Collin, 28, and his partner, Clayton, 29.
Collin said he and Clayton went to the 9:30 Club with the hope of buying tickets for the Taylor Swift Dance Party performance, but they quickly learned the tickets were sold out. He said the two men then began walking away from the 9:30 club when Siate saw then holding hands and began to harass them.
“He started off by saying gays can’t hold hands in D.C.,” Collin recounted. “And then he said gays can’t hold hands in my city,” according to Collin, who added, “And then he started following us. I told him to get away from us. He said, you’re in my living room and then he proceeded to call us ‘faggots’ twice.”
A short time later, as the couple were approaching a nearby ice cream shop called Coneacopia, Siate picked up a sign outside the shop and “started charging at us” with the two men fearing he was about to hit them with the sign, Collin told the Blade. At that time, a D.C. police officer arrived on the scene in his patrol car after Collin called 911 and waved at the officer as he approached the scene.
As the police officer arrived Siate “runs up to the police officer and tells the officer that we were harassing him and that we were throwing rocks at him,” Collin said. But after the officer took a full statement from Collin and Clayton, he put Siate in handcuffs, Collin said. He said after the first officer and other police officers who arrived on the scene and spoke with witnesses, they placed Siate under arrest.
According to Collin, “It came out to be a good evening after all the craziness.” He said 9:30 Club employees, who witnessed much of the interaction between Siate, and the two gay men unfold, told Collin and Clayton, “We’re so sorry this happened to you guys. You can come in,” allowing them to attend the Taylor Swift Dance Party show despite its sold-out status.
D.C. police records, meanwhile, show that as of Oct. 31 of this year, the most recent data available, the assault against Collin and Clayton outside the 9:30 Club was one of 40 anti-LGBTQ hate crimes reported for 2024.
The data shows that 22 of the reported incidents were based on the victim’s sexual orientation and 18 of the hate crime incidents were based on the victim’s gender identity.
District of Columbia
Gay D.C. police lieutenant arrested on child porn charges
Matthew Mahl once served as head of LGBT Liaison Unit
D.C. police announced on April 14 that they have placed one of their lieutenants, Matthew Mahl, on administrative leave and revoked his police powers after receiving information that he was arrested in Maryland one day earlier.
Although the initial D.C. police announcement doesn’t disclose the reason for the arrest it refers to a statement by the Harford County, Md. Sheriff’s Office that discloses Mahl has been charged with sexual solicitation of a minor and child porn solicitation.
“On Tuesday, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office contacted MPD’s Internal Affairs Division shortly after arresting Lieutenant Matthew Mahl,” the D.C. police statement says.
“The allegations in this case are extremely disturbing, and in direct contrast to the values of the Metropolitan Police Department,” the statement continues. “MPD’s Internal Affairs Division will investigate violations of MPD policy once the criminal investigation concludes,” it says.
“MPD is not involved in the criminal investigation and was not aware of the investigation until yesterday,” the statement adds.
Mahl served as acting supervisor of the MPD’s then Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit in 2013 when he held the rank of sergeant. D.C. police officials placed him on administrative leave and suspended his police powers that same year while investigating an undisclosed allegation.
A source familiar with the investigation said Mahl was cleared of any wrongdoing a short time later and resumed his police duties. Around the time he was promoted to lieutenant several years later Mahl took on the role as chairman of the D.C. Police Union, becoming the first known openly gay officer to hold that position.
NBC 4 reports that Mahl, 47, has served on the police force for 23 years and most recently was assigned to the department’s Special Operations Division.
Records related to Mahl’s arrest filed in Harford County District Court, show Sheriff’s Department investigators state in charging documents that he allegedly committed the offenses of Sexual Solicitation of a Minor and Child Porn Solicitation on Monday, April 13, one day before he was arrested on April 14.
The court records show he was held without bond during his first appearance in court on April 14. A decision on whether he would be released while awaiting trial or continue to be held without bond was scheduled to be determined during an April 15 bond hearing. The outcome of that hearing could not be immediately determined.
District of Columbia
D.C. bar, LGBTQ+ Community Center to mark Lesbian Visibility Week
‘Ahead of the Curve’ documentary screening, ‘Queeroke’ among events
2026 Lesbian Visibility Week North America will take place from April 20-26.
This year marks the third annual Lesbian Visibility Week, run by the Curve Foundation. A host of events take place from April 20-26.
This year’s theme is Health and Wellness. For the Curve Foundation, the term “lesbian” serves as an umbrella term for a host of identities, including lesbians, bisexual and transgender women, and anyone else connected to the lesbian community.
The week kicks off with a flag-raising ceremony on April 19. It will take place in New York, but will be livestreamed for the public.
“Queeroke” is one of the events being held around the country. It will take place at various participating bars on April 23.
As You Are, an LGBTQ bar in Capitol Hill, is one of eight locations across the U.S. participating. Their event is free and 21+.
On April 24, the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center will hold a screening of “Ahead of the Curve,” a documentary about the founder of Curve, Franco Stevens. The event is free with an RSVP.
April 25, is Queer Women in Sports Day. And on April 26, several monuments in New York will be illuminated.
Virtual events ranging from health to sports will be made available to the public. Details will be released closer to the start of Lesbian Visibility Week. Featured events can be found on the official website.
Some ways for individuals to get involved are to use #LVW26 and tag the official Lesbian Visibility Week account on social media posts. People are encouraged to display their lesbian flags, and businesses can hand out pins and decorate. They can also reach out to local lawmakers to encourage them to issue an official Lesbian Visibility Week.
District of Columbia
Whitman-Walker Health to present ‘Pro Bono Excellence’ award to law firm
Health center set to celebrate 40th anniversary of legal services program
Whitman-Walker Health, the D.C.-based community healthcare center that specializes in HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ-related health services, announced it will present its annual Dale Edwin Sanders Award for Pro Bono Excellence to the international law firm McDermott Will & Schulte at a May 6 ceremony.
“This year’s award is especially significant as it coincides with the 40th anniversary of Whitman-Walker Health’s Legal Services Program, marking it as the nation’s longest running medical-legal partnership,” a statement released by Whitman-Walker says.
“As a national leader in public health, Whitman-Walker celebrates our partnership with McDermott to strengthen the health center and to enable Whitman-Walker to reach more medical and legal clients,” the statement adds.
“McDermott’s firm-wide commitment to Whitman-Walker’s medical-legal partnership demonstrates a shared vision to serve those most in need,” Amy Nelson, Whitman-Walker’s director of Legal Services, says in the statement. “Our work protects individuals and families who face discrimination and hostility as they navigate increasingly complex administrative systems,” Nelson said.
“Pro bono legal services – like that of McDermott Will & Schulte – find solutions for people who have no place else to turn in the face of financial and health threats,” she added.
“Our partnership with Whitman-Walker Health is a treasured commitment to serving our neighbors and communities,” Steven Schnelle, one of the law firm’s partners said in the statement. “We are deeply moved by Whitman-Walker’s unwavering dedication to inclusion, respect, and equitable access to health care and social services,” he said.
The statement notes that the award for Pro Bono Excellence honors the legacy of the late gay attorney Dale Edwin Sanders. It says Sanders’s pro bono legal work for Whitman-Walker clients “shaped HIV/AIDS law for more than four decades by securing key victories on behalf of individuals whose employment and patient rights were violated.”
It says the Whitman-Walker Legal Services program began during the early years of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s at a time when people with AIDS faced widespread discrimination and often needed legal assistance. According to the statement, the program evolved over the years and expanded to advocate for transgender people and immigrants.
Whitman-Walker spokesperson Lisa Amore said the presentation of the Dale Edwin Sanders Pro Bono Excellency Award will be held at the May 6 fundraising benefit for Whitman-Walker’s Legal Services Program. She said the event will take place at the offices of the DC law firm Baker McKenzie and ticket availability can be accessed here: https://www.whitman-walker.org/gtem-2026/
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